


A Secret That Changed Everything

by Sansastarkofwinterfell



Series: Jonsa Week 2017 [3]
Category: A Song of Ice and Fire & Related Fandoms, A Song of Ice and Fire - George R. R. Martin, Game of Thrones (TV)
Genre: F/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-10-27
Updated: 2017-10-27
Packaged: 2019-01-25 01:31:41
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,370
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/12519916
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Sansastarkofwinterfell/pseuds/Sansastarkofwinterfell
Summary: Day 3 of Jonsa Week: Whispers and Secrets'Their family had been surrounded by secrets for their entire lives, but together, they would help each other overcome this life-changing secret.'





	A Secret That Changed Everything

**Author's Note:**

> Thanks to my beta kingstqrk :)

It was a secret that changed everything but changed nothing at the same time. From the moment Bran had told her and Arya about their father’s deepest secret, their opinion about Jon hadn’t changed, they still loved him as much as they had before. Nothing was different in that respect.

But in other ways everything had changed. It destroyed Jon to find out. He was always ashamed of being a bastard, he would admit that. But he had said he would rather be the bastard of one of the greatest men who had ever lived than the trueborn son of a different Lord, one with less honour.

He hadn’t spoken to anyone for weeks. She supposed if her father were still alive, he would’ve revealed his secret to Jon many years before now but fate had denied that. Instead it had fallen to Bran to tell him and he stormed out after the revelation, coming straight to her chambers and flinging the door open without knocking. She knew what was wrong without asking him.

_“Did you know?” Jon practically shouted at her, angrily._

_“Yes, but I haven’t known for long.”_

_“I have spoken to you so many times in the weeks since I’ve returned and you never thought it would be a good idea to tell me.”_

_“It hasn’t been my place to tell you. And you’ve been so busy, we all have. You didn’t need this looming you over as well.”_

_“Is this so you can rule the North? Don’t pretend you were happy that I was chosen ahead of you! This is a part of your plan with Littlefinger!” Sansa slapped him so quickly across the cheek, now matching his anger._

_“How dare you! First, I was the one who publicly sentenced Littlefinger to die. I have never been a part of his plans and I never would have betrayed you in favour of him. Second, don’t you dare insinuate that I have tried to take power from you. If that’s what I wanted, I would’ve taken it. The Northmen aren’t exactly your biggest supporters at the minute, I could easily be Queen if I wanted, but I love you too much to do that.”_

_He did look guilty, and though he didn’t say anything, his eyes apologised._

_“I would never keep such a huge secret from you,” he said, but his tone was falling, as if he was already starting to regret this argument._

_“You mean like your_ secret _affair with Auntie Dany.” She felt guilty for throwing it in his face, but she was still livid that he could even think those things of her. She turned on her heel and left him standing there, shocked, and both of them thinking how badly secrets can damage people._

It had been three weeks since their argument and they were still not talking. Sansa knew this had to end, and it had to end now. They had a war against the most powerful enemy they would ever face and they all needed to be on the same side.

She found him exactly where she suspected he would be. Deep down in the crypts, at the most recent statues added there. She approached him quietly but not silently so she would scare him. He had heard her, and looked to her, gesturing her to join him. He was stood before the statue of Lyanna Stark, no doubt contemplating his parentage.

When he spoke, it was a whisper, a whisper she could barely hear.

“All my life I wanted to know who my mother was. I used to hold onto the hope that one day I’d find her, meet the woman who gave me life. Turns out I knew who she was all along, only I’ll never get to meet her.”

Sansa took Jon’s hand and squeezed it, giving him some comfort. She knew it always hurt him to see the rest of them have the best love a mother could give while he got nothing. If she was to be honest with herself, it never used to bother her, she only saw her mother’s hurt and took that side. The older she got, the more she understood Jon’s point of view as well, especially during her time as Alayne. Now it seems the hurt her father’s secret caused two of the most important people in her life was all for nothing.

“Why did he lie, Sansa?”

“He didn’t lie. He was a bad liar, he just kept a deep secret. That’s the reason he never spoke about it, because he was bad at lying and he hated to do so.” Her voice was as quiet as his own, a whisper in the darkness.

“Sorry for getting angry. I should never have said those things to you.” Jon said earnestly. She noticed the guilt in his eyes, but she also noticed his obvious refusal to speak more of his parentage, obviously hurting him more than he let on, so she let him continue with his conversation. “Forgive me?”

“You’ve just discovered a huge secret that’s changed your perception on life. There’s nothing to forgive.”

“Forgive me?” Jon pressed, and Sansa was reminded of a similar conversation they’d had when they first reunited. A smile crept up on her lips.

“Alright, I forgive you.”

They remained in silence for a while, comfortable with not speaking. While Jon remained standing at Lyanna’s statue, Sansa moved down the crypts, offering silent prayers for her parents, Robb and Rickon, each of whom she missed dearly. _These statues don’t do them justice._

“Davos came to me with an idea yesterday. He told me of a marriage that could secure the North.” His voice was still such a whisper that she barely heard him, but she turned to look at him. She knew what marriage he was talking about, Davos had approached her with the same idea.

Davos was right. A marriage between her and Jon was absolutely the best thing for the North right now. She had been unsure about it, confused even. How could she and Jon marry? They were siblings…only they weren’t. But now there was the complication of Daenerys Targaryen and Jon’s rather unorthodox relationship.

“What about Daenerys?”

“I don’t love her. We need her dragons to beat the Night King, there is no question about that, so we need an alliance with her. But I regret whatever relationship I had with her.”

He seemed genuine. Like her father, Jon wasn’t much of a liar. He hated lying, knowing it created more problems and meaningless words, so he avoided it as much as he could. She was truly grateful now for his honesty.

“Listen, Sansa. I know it may be weird at first if we did marry and I know how much you’ve suffered at the hands of men, but I swear to you I will absolutely treat you like you deserve. You never have to worry about that. I will be loyal, true and a good husband to you, I will swear it before the heart tree.”

Sansa teared up at his hushed confession and found herself embracing him. Jon was far too much of a good person for her, but if she had to admit, she would say that there was no man alive she would trust more to keep her safe.

“Why would you do that for me? I was mean to you.” Jon looked shocked at what she said, and shook his head, placing his hand on her chin to make her look into his eyes.

“No, you weren’t. We were distant, that’s all, but you were never mean. I wasn’t exactly perfect either. I preferred to spend time with the others and had no interest in pretty dresses or stitching. But anything that happened when we were children is in the past, and we can move on, together.”

They spent hours in the crypts, their voices remaining nothing more than the whisper they had spoken in since she entered. She found it oddly peaceful, the hushed tones. It made their conversation feel more intimate.

Their family had been surrounded by secrets for their entire lives, but together, they would help each other overcome this life-changing secret.


End file.
